Game review: James Cameron's Avatar - iPhone / iPod Touch

As anyone who has read my games-related musings before will know, I have a healthy loathing of shallow and poorly produced film-to-game cash-ins.

So many good movies have been tainted by inferior games. Avatar from Gameloft is a decidedly above-average film licence, and is a very good game in its own right.

Avatar the movie takes place in the year 2148 and focuses on a greedy corporate plot by a military force to mine a distant planet called Pandora for the valuable resource of unobtainium.

To infiltrate the native Na’Vi, a population of 10-foot tall blue people, scientists develop avatars, which are half-human, half-alien bodies remotely controlled by human characters.

Avatar the game takes place 20 years before the events in the film. You play as a character called Ryan Lorenz who controls the first experimental avatar.

Over time, just like central character Jake Sully in the movie, Lorenz grows fond of the Na’Vi people and their world.

It’s a clever decision to base the game before the film as it makes it accessible to anyone regardless of whether players have seen the movie or not.

It also means Avatar avoids the usual trap most movie tie-ins fall into, which is trying to replicate the plot of their source material through a series of ham-fisted, lame mini games loosely based on scenes from the film.

Being a prequel of sorts means Avatar is a game set within the movie’s world rather than a game based on the film, and it pays off with the game being a coherent and enjoyable 3D platform adventure.

It takes place across 15 chapters set in diverse environments such as mines, military compounds and jungles.

You will run, jump, swing, climb and fight your way through levels, carrying out objectives and collecting orbs (known as wisps) which can unlock special abilities.

Wandering around, aided by a helpful glowing route guide, you will need to defend yourself against all manner of creatures and even carnivorous plants. Combat is quite limited and unsophisticated but there is lots of it to keep action fans happy.

Key to completing each level is keeping your health meter from draining to zero, though your character can expire with one bad move such as when he misses a jump and falls into a deep chasm. Luckily there are plentiful checkpoints from which to restart.

Much of the platforming action is seen from behind your avatar in a third-person view, though there are times when it switches to more of a side-scrolling style.

Controls in the game are very easy to get the hang of and work very well. A virtual joystick in the bottom-left controls your character’s movement while buttons around the screen are used for attacking, jumping and unleashing special powers.

As I mentioned above, the combat is quite limited in that it mainly consists of positioning your character and then button bashing until you land enough blows on the enemy monsters. Combos can be performed using the attack, jump and directional buttons. Weapons available are bow, staff and gun.

Although Avatar does primarily focus on navigating safe paths through platform levels, it also brings in other gaming elements.

For instance, there are open world type stages in which you must interact with the Na’vi and complete missions for them.

There is also a shoot-em-up segment during which you take to the skies and fly on the back of a banshee.

Avatar is a beautifully presented game.

Lush and vibrant landscapes abound, with some of the most colourful and highest quality graphics I’ve seen yet on the iPhone/iPod platform.

The gorgeous scenery is very detailed. In one early stage at a waterfall the cascading water looks so authentic you can almost feel the haze coming off it.

The environments have a mesmeric, surreal and mystical feel to them, and it’s a pleasure to explore the game’s vast world.

Music and sound are also very good throughout the game, giving it a sort of eerie atmosphere.

Apparently Gameloft designers spent a lot of time with the movie production team and were given full access to film assets. It shows in the very high production values in the game.

A good deal of care has been put into this, instead of it being the usual cheap and hastily produced movie tie-in.

Avatar offers players a long and rewarding gaming experience.

As polished as the game is it’s not entirely without problems.

In the platform levels there is no way to zoom out or pan around the scene, which can make it difficult to see what’s about or find where you need to go.

The camera angle is awkward sometimes. I’ve had my character get hidden behind objects. It’s also tricky judging distance for jumping – I’ve had to make some leaps blind, hitting the jump button and hoping for the best.

These issues, while a little frustrating when they occur, are slight shortcomings rather than major flaws which ruin the overall enjoyment of the game.

Avatar is a classy game. As a conversion of a film into a video game it stands, much like the Na'vi, blue head and shoulders above most others.

Rich gameplay, a lengthy adventure and stunning presentation combine to make this one of the premier games of its type available for iPhone and iPod Touch.

Verdict: 8.5 out of 10 – It’s easy to be dismissive of games based on big-budget movies but Avatar breaks the usual rule and is actually very good.